Express News Service
NEW DELHI: As veteran Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge is set to assume charge as the new Congress president today, the most crucial question doing the rounds is whether he will hold elections for the Congress Working Committee. The elections to the CWC were last held in 1997 at the AICC’s Calcutta plenary session.
The CWC consists of 23 members, out of which 12 are elected and 11 are nominated. All India Congress Committee (AICC) members form the Electoral College to elect the 12 CWC members, in case of a contest.
The elections to the CWC, the highest executive committee of the party, and other positions, were some of the demands raised by senior leaders of the G-23 group. It will be significant if Congress holds the CWC election as it promised.
The CWC consists of top leadership of the party. Some senior leaders are apprehensive whether the party is keen on holding CWC elections as several PCC chiefs have already passed resolutions authorising the new Congress president to nominate PCC chiefs and AICC members. It was after Congress Central Election Authority chairman Madhusudan Mistry wrote to PCCs doing so last month. The states, which have passed resolutions to this effect, include Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Assam and Chattisgarh.
One senior leader, requesting anonymity, told this newspaper that the ‘fairness of the CWC election will be in question if the president-elect AICC members to elect the 12 CWC members.’ “If the leadership gets the electoral college of their choosing, then the election is meaningless. If AICC members are nominated by the president, then the CWC will only be a formality,” he said.
Earlier, the party has announced that along with the election of the president, elections to the CWC, PCC presidents, vice-presidents, treasurers, PCC executives and AICC members by the PCC general body will also be held.
According to the Congress constitution, the CWC constitutes Congress president, its leader in the Parliament and 23 members, out of which 12 are being elected by AICC. In the past, elections to the CWC were held under PV Narasimha Rao and Sitaram Kesari in 1992 and 1997 respectively.
In his manifesto, Shashi Tharoor, Kharge’s main challenger in the president election, had promised election for the CWC and revival of the Parliamentary Board of the party. Speaking to this newspaper, former Maharashtra Chief Minister and a member of the G-23 group, Prithviraj Chavan, said that he wants the new president to hold democratic elections for all important positions in the party.
“Though Maharashtra also passed a resolution authorising the new AICC president to appoint PCC chiefs and AICC members, we will request the new president to hold elections for the PCC presidents. It’s up to the party if it wants the democratic process or not,” he said.
Senior Kerala Congress leader Ramesh Chennithala said that AICC members will be selected during plenary session and the members will authorise the Congress president to form the CWC either through election or nomination. “AICC members will be selected during the plenary session. AICC members will pass a resolution to entrust Congress working president to form the CWC, either through elections or nominations. Both the possibilities are there,” he said.
NEW DELHI: As veteran Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge is set to assume charge as the new Congress president today, the most crucial question doing the rounds is whether he will hold elections for the Congress Working Committee. The elections to the CWC were last held in 1997 at the AICC’s Calcutta plenary session.
The CWC consists of 23 members, out of which 12 are elected and 11 are nominated. All India Congress Committee (AICC) members form the Electoral College to elect the 12 CWC members, in case of a contest.
The elections to the CWC, the highest executive committee of the party, and other positions, were some of the demands raised by senior leaders of the G-23 group. It will be significant if Congress holds the CWC election as it promised.
The CWC consists of top leadership of the party. Some senior leaders are apprehensive whether the party is keen on holding CWC elections as several PCC chiefs have already passed resolutions authorising the new Congress president to nominate PCC chiefs and AICC members. It was after Congress Central Election Authority chairman Madhusudan Mistry wrote to PCCs doing so last month. The states, which have passed resolutions to this effect, include Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Assam and Chattisgarh.
One senior leader, requesting anonymity, told this newspaper that the ‘fairness of the CWC election will be in question if the president-elect AICC members to elect the 12 CWC members.’ “If the leadership gets the electoral college of their choosing, then the election is meaningless. If AICC members are nominated by the president, then the CWC will only be a formality,” he said.
Earlier, the party has announced that along with the election of the president, elections to the CWC, PCC presidents, vice-presidents, treasurers, PCC executives and AICC members by the PCC general body will also be held.
According to the Congress constitution, the CWC constitutes Congress president, its leader in the Parliament and 23 members, out of which 12 are being elected by AICC. In the past, elections to the CWC were held under PV Narasimha Rao and Sitaram Kesari in 1992 and 1997 respectively.
In his manifesto, Shashi Tharoor, Kharge’s main challenger in the president election, had promised election for the CWC and revival of the Parliamentary Board of the party. Speaking to this newspaper, former Maharashtra Chief Minister and a member of the G-23 group, Prithviraj Chavan, said that he wants the new president to hold democratic elections for all important positions in the party.
“Though Maharashtra also passed a resolution authorising the new AICC president to appoint PCC chiefs and AICC members, we will request the new president to hold elections for the PCC presidents. It’s up to the party if it wants the democratic process or not,” he said.
Senior Kerala Congress leader Ramesh Chennithala said that AICC members will be selected during plenary session and the members will authorise the Congress president to form the CWC either through election or nomination. “AICC members will be selected during the plenary session. AICC members will pass a resolution to entrust Congress working president to form the CWC, either through elections or nominations. Both the possibilities are there,” he said.
